Venus Williams Suffers 15th Straight Singles Defeat At US Open

Venus Williams suffered her 15th consecutive singles defeat after losing to fellow American Sofia Kenin in the first round of the US Open.

Venus Williams, 46, was beaten 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) by the 2020 Australian Open champion in a match that ended around 2am local time in New York.

The match began at 00:13 after Mariano Navone’s five-set win over Novak Djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium, making it the latest start to a match in US Open history.

By the time Williams and Kenin finished, only about 1,000 spectators remained in the stadium.

Williams struggled in the opening set but produced a much stronger performance in the second. She led 6-2 in the tiebreak and had seven set points, but Kenin won the final six points to complete the win.

“It’s not ideal,” Williams said of the midnight start after receiving a wildcard to compete at her home Grand Slam.

“I would have preferred something else, definitely. I think it wasn’t great for either of us, so I think we both tried our best.

“I just don’t know any other sport where you have to start that late. I definitely think there’s room for improvement there.

“I just kept pushing myself to try to find my best tennis and to find my rhythm. It’s not easy to do in the first round. It’s not easy to do it at 1am or 2am.”

The defeat means Williams has now lost 19 of her last 20 singles matches. Her only victory during that run came against Peyton Stearns in Washington in July 2025.

The former world number one, currently ranked 618th, has not entered a Grand Slam singles main draw through her ranking since Wimbledon in 2021. That tournament also produced her most recent singles victory at a major.

Williams’ continued appearance through wildcards has sparked debate, with the US Open invitation representing her 12th wildcard of the season.

However, there is no limit on the number of wildcards available to Grand Slam champions, while tournament organisers continue to see value in having one of tennis’ biggest names in their draws.

Karl Hale, tournament director of the WTA 1000 event in Toronto, where Williams also received a wildcard this month, defended the decision.

“I think it’s good for tennis to have these generational icons,” Hale said.

“That they are still allocating wildcards for them says something to their intrinsic value to the tournaments.”